https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Biological tissues have a remarkable ability to organize and change shape, driven by forces generated by their own cells. One of the major challenges in bioengineering is harnessing this natural behavior to design synthetic living materials capable of adopting predetermined shapes. However, precisely controlling how a tissue behaves and directing its internal forces to adopt the desired shape remains a significant scientific challenge. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-scientists-shifting-tissue-cells-flat.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:05 EDT news695548261 Magnetic and electric dipoles, objects with two oppositely charged ends, have a similar symmetrical structure. One might thus assume that they exhibit similar internal structures and physical states. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-unveils-spontaneous-toroidal-polar-topology.html Condensed Matter Thu, 28 Mar 2024 09:22:31 EDT news630836545 At the Tokyo Tech LG Material & Life Solution Collaborative Research Cluster, a joint research team has developed a ferroelectric dimeric liquid crystal with spontaneous polarization that exceeds (8 μCcm-2) and a dielectric constant that exceeds 8,000 at low temperatures. The findings are published in The Journal of Physical Chemistry B. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-ferroelectric-dimeric-liquid-crystal-huge.html Nanomaterials Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:23:59 EST news625479835 Meeting the world's energy demands is reaching a critical point. Powering the technological age has caused issues globally. It is increasingly important to create superconductors that can operate at ambient pressure and temperature. This would go a long way toward solving the energy crisis. https://phys.org/news/2023-05-superconductive-images-3d-disorder-driven-fractals.html Condensed Matter Fri, 12 May 2023 13:37:40 EDT news603117444 A scientist at Osaka City University has discovered skyrmions with half-integer topological numbers in a ferromagnetic superfluid. https://phys.org/news/2022-02-eccentric-fractional-skyrmion-numerical-simulations.html Soft Matter Wed, 16 Feb 2022 12:40:01 EST news564235786 Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder's Soft Materials Research Center (SMRC) have discovered an elusive phase of matter, first proposed more than 100 years ago and sought after ever since. https://phys.org/news/2020-06-century-scientists-liquid-phase.html Materials Science Wed, 10 Jun 2020 16:55:22 EDT news511026913 Researchers at Stanford University have recently carried out an in-depth study of nematic transitions in iron pnictide superconductors. Their paper, published in Nature Physics, presents new imaging data of these transitions collected using a microscope they invented, dubbed the scanning quantum cryogenic atom microscope (SQCRAMscope). https://phys.org/news/2020-04-imaging-nematic-transitions-iron-pnictide.html Superconductivity Thu, 30 Apr 2020 09:30:01 EDT news507456752 Protein filament systems within cells are subject to constant reorganization, which is in part mediated by the actions of motor proteins. LMU researchers have now shown that motor-driven movements can propagate through such networks. https://phys.org/news/2020-01-remote.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 09 Jan 2020 09:40:02 EST news497784309 Oscillating flow and light pulses can be used to create reconfigurable architecture in liquid crystals. Materials scientists can carefully engineer concerted microfluidic flows and localized optothermal fields to achieve control on nucleation , growth and shape of such liquid domains. In comparison, pure liquids in thermodynamic equilibrium are structurally homogeneous. Experimental work based on theory and simulations have shown that if the liquids are maintained in a controlled state of nonequilibrium, the resulting structures can be indefinitely stabilized. https://phys.org/news/2019-02-sculpting-stable-pure-liquids.html General Physics Thu, 21 Feb 2019 09:30:06 EST news469873756 Biological materials from bone to spider-silk and wood are lightweight fibre composites arranged in a complex hierarchical structure, formed by directed self-assembly to demonstrate outstanding mechanical properties. https://phys.org/news/2018-10-d-hierarchical-liquid-crystal-polymer.html Polymers Tue, 09 Oct 2018 07:34:39 EDT news458289267 Liquid crystals undergo a peculiar type of phase change. At a certain temperature, their cigar-shaped molecules go from a disordered jumble to a more orderly arrangement in which they all point more or less in the same direction. LCD televisions take advantage of that phase change to project different colors in moving images. https://phys.org/news/2018-05-reveals-liquid-crystals.html Condensed Matter Tue, 22 May 2018 16:38:46 EDT news446225917 An international research team from Russia, France and Germany has proposed a new method for orienting liquid crystals. It could be used to increase the viewing angle of liquid-crystal displays. The paper was published in the journal ACS Macro Letters. https://phys.org/news/2018-05-technology-liquid-crystal.html Condensed Matter Mon, 14 May 2018 06:34:07 EDT news445498431 (Phys.org) —The prospect of integrated living organisms into a non-living substrate has long held a compelling appeal for those investigating active matter – the study of a type of easily-deformable out of equilibrium soft matter that focuses on the properties of assemblages of self-propelled interacting particles, and an important physical model of living systems. Recently, scientists at Kent State University, Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University have proposed the living liquid crystal (LLC) – a new class of active matter with motile rod-shaped bacteria placed in a water-based nontoxic lyotropic liquid crystal (LC) environment. The researchers found that the novel material displays a wide range of useful and occasionally surprising properties that lend themselves to a wide array of potential biosensing, biomedical, submicrometer, autonomous microprobe, and structural imaging applications. https://phys.org/news/2014-01-alive-scientists-combine-liquid-crystals.html Condensed Matter Fri, 31 Jan 2014 09:00:02 EST news310371109 (Phys.org) —New collaborative research, carried out by Dr. Vitaly P. Panov, Research Fellow, and Jagdish K Vij, Honorary Professor of Electronic Materials of Trinity College Dublin's School of Engineering, Department of Electronic Engineering, has found the twist bend nematic phase of liquid crystals (LCs). https://phys.org/news/2013-11-state-liquid-crystals.html Condensed Matter Fri, 29 Nov 2013 07:00:01 EST news304929525